Managing Behavioral Crises: When and How to Seek Help

Navigating the Toughest Moments with Compassionate Support

All parents face challenging behaviors, but for families supporting a child with Autism or other developmental differences, these moments can sometimes escalate into a behavioral crisis. A crisis is more than a tantrum; it is a point where the safety of the individual or others is at risk, or where the family’s ability to cope is severely compromised.

At Myers Assessment & Therapeutic Service (MATS), we understand the stress and fear that a crisis can bring. Our Crisis Intervention Support is designed to provide rapid, evidence-based help when you need it most. This guide will help you recognize the signs of a crisis and understand how to get effective assistance.

Recognizing When a Behavior Becomes a Crisis

It is vital to distinguish between a regular behavior challenge (which can be addressed through standard ABA Therapy and Comprehensive Parent Training) and a true crisis. A behavior is usually considered a crisis when it meets one or more of these criteria:

1. Safety Risk: The behavior poses an immediate physical danger, such as severe self-injurious behavior (SIB), aggression towards others (e.g., hitting, biting, head-butting), or dangerous elopement (running away).
2. Destructive Intensity: The behavior causes significant damage to property or the environment.
3. Family/Caregiver Burnout: The intensity or frequency of the behaviors exceeds the family’s ability to manage them, leading to severe family disruption or potential out-of-home placement.
4. Sudden Escalation: There is a rapid, unpredictable worsening of challenging behaviors that defies the current treatment plan.

If a behavior is immediately life-threatening, always prioritize safety and contact emergency services (911 in the U.S.) first.

MATS’ Crisis Intervention Support

When a family is dealing with a behavioral crisis, the goal is swift and targeted intervention. MATS offers specialized Crisis Intervention Support as part of our comprehensive services, which often work alongside our Complex Behaviour Clinic.

How We Provide Crisis Support:

• Rapid Assessment: We quickly mobilize our experienced Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) to conduct an urgent review of the challenging behavior. This often includes a focused Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) to determine the function (the why) of the behavior.
• Safety Planning: The immediate priority is creating a Safety Plan—a clear, step-by-step document that outlines how caregivers should respond during a behavior escalation to ensure everyone remains physically safe.
• Environmental Modification: We work with the family to make immediate, practical changes to the environment (antecedents) to reduce the likelihood of the crisis behavior occurring again.
• Skill Teaching: We focus on teaching the individual a replacement skill (Functional Communication Training) that serves the same function as the crisis behavior, but in a safe, appropriate way.

Creating Prevention Plans: Beyond the Crisis

While crisis intervention stabilizes the situation, the long-term solution lies in prevention. At MATS, our ultimate aim is to equip families with the tools to prevent future crises.

Key Components of a Strong Prevention Plan:

Resources for Families in Crisis

If you are facing a behavioral emergency, please use the following resources:

You are not alone. Seeking help during a crisis is a sign of strength and the most effective step you can take to keep your child and family safe.